1993 Hanford environmental report available

RICHLAND, Wash. –
The Hanford Site environmental report for 1993 is available to interested groups and individuals. The report summarizes information on environmental monitoring and environmental management activities conducted on the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state.

The environmental report is prepared annually for the U.S. Department of Energy by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory and describes programs conducted by PNL, the research and development contractor, and Westinghouse Hanford Company, the operations and engineering contractor.

The report discusses the collection and analysis of thousands of environmental samples taken from the Hanford Site and within an 80-kilometer (50-mile) radius. These include data on air emissions, liquid effluents, ground water, surface water, wildlife, soils, vegetation, and food and farm products. Additionally, the report assesses the status of Hanford's compliance with applicable federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations.

According to the report, in 1993, a person living close to Hanford and eating food grown locally could have received a radiation dose of less than one millirem from Hanford sources compared to the public protection standard of 100 millirem. The dose is a small fraction of the national annual per capita dose of 300 millirem individuals receive from natural sources of radioactivity.

For individuals interested in reading a brief, less technical version of the 1993 environmental report, a summary is available. "In Summary, Environmental Report 1993" contains highlights of the monitoring results and locations where additional information about the Hanford Site is available. The report is being distributed to interested groups, individuals, regional libraries and public reading rooms.

To request a copy of either the full report or the summary, or for additional information concerning the report, call PNL staff members Bill Hanf at (509) 376-8264 or Geoff Harvey at (509) 375-2148.

Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an annual budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. As the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter.